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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beware Der Schvartz Hanker!!!, December 31, 2004
VCI continues its impressive lineup of DVD serial releases with THE ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS (1943), a 13-episode Universal chapterplay.
Four young flying students are accused of the murder of a commanding officer; he was actually done in by a mysterious Nazi saboteur known as the Black Hangman. To clear their good names (and they're called Danny, Jinx, Scrapper, and Zombie, four good names if I've ever heard them), the four Air Cadets track the Nazis across land, sea, and air, eventually unmasking the Hangman and forcing a showdown at a secret African helium mine.
Universal released a new serial starring the Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys once a year from 1940 through 1942. I suspect FLYING CADETS was written for the DEK/LTGs, but it ended up utilizing the services of only Bobby Jordan, who hadn't appeared with his Dead End Kids mates in any of the earlier serials. The other three cadets are the familiar Johnny Downs and Billy Benedict and the unfamiliar Ward Wood; the supporting cast includes Eduardo Ciannelli, Robert Armstrong, the lovely Jennifer Holt, and the ever-popular Regis Toomey.
Like most of the later Universal serials, you'll find plenty of stock footage; a Greek chorus of minor characters who begin each chapter by talking about what's going on (was this cheaper than the beloved "scrawl" that began BUCK ROGERS and earlier Universal chapterplays?); and a little too much plot to be healthy in a serial. It's also surprising that we, the audience out there in movieland, are let in on the identity of the Black Hangman very early in the game, although that may have been because there's no mistaking who it is under that mask. It's fun to watch the scheming Axis Huns double-cross themselves on an ongoing basis; there's no honor amongst Nazis, it seems. I also liked the way Ciannelli blusters about the Cadets: "Those idiots! Those dummkopffs! They've outsmarted us again!" The biggest laugh, however, is reserved for those times in which the Nazis refer to the Black Hangman as "Der Shvartz Hanker", which, gosh darn it, is just hilarious, you'll have to trust me. Oh, and there's also a peppy "Air Cadets" theme song that plays over the opening Cadet credits, so be forewarned. It'll stick to your brain the way peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth.
THE ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS is officially a rather pedestrian serial (the participation of the other Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys would've helped immeasurably), but the DVD is very good and contains a slew o' really fun serial trailers. Recommended.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"filmed in 1943 during World War 2 ~ The Flying Cadets", September 6, 2005
VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Adventures of the Flying Cadets" (1943), filmed during the War Years when the world was battling Germany and the Nazi's...each chapter captures the spirit of what America and their allies were trying to achieve...Freedom!.
Under director's Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor, featuring the writing skills with story and screenplay by Morgan Fox...with a fine cast which include Johnny Downs as Cadet Danny Collins, Bobby Jordan as Cadet Jinx Roberts, Robert Wood as Cadet Scrapper McKay, William "Billy" Benedict as Cadet Zombie Parker, Robert Armstrong (of the "King Kong" fame) as Arthur Galt (alias The Black Hangman), Jennifer Holt as Andre Mason, Eduardo Ciannelli as Kurt von Heiger, alias Corby, Regis Toomey as Capt. Ralph Carson...our story enters as such, we have flying students Collins, Roberts, MacKay and Zombie Parker who are suspects in a series of murders...but the plot thickens as a Nazi agent Arthur Galt also known as The Black Hangman is really the perpetrator...an expedition trying to locate lost helium deposits in Africa to sell to Germany through a Gestapo ring...Karl Von Heiger is the leader of the Gestapo, can he and The Black Hangman suceed in taking the helium back to Germany...will the Cadets unit and save the day hoping to clear their names and receive Air Corps wings...the U.S. Army Intelligence is hot on the trail of The Black Hangman and Flying Cadets...who will get there first!
Chapter Titles
1. The Black Hangman Strikes
2. Menaced by Murderers
3. Into the Flames
4. Doorway of Death
5. Crashed in a Crater
6. Rendezvous with Doom
7. Gestapo Execution
8. Masters of Treachery
9. Wings of Destruction
10.Caught in the Caves of An-Kar-Ban
11.Hostages for Treason
12.The Black Hangman Strikes Again
13.The Toll of Treason
Universal Serials - Coming Soon:
JUNIOR G-MEN OF THE AIR
PHANTOM CREEPS
TIM TYLER'S LUCK
TAILSPIN TOMMY
Bonus Serial Trailers:
KING OF THE ROCKET MEN (Republic Serial)
UNDERSEA KINGDOM (Republic Serial)
TJE GREEN ARCJER (Columbia Serial)
SUPERMAN (Columbia Serial)
CONGO BILL (Columbia Serial)
Take a bow VCI Entertainment on this remastered Dolby Digital Mono release with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment...another top notch serial from VCI...just the way we like 'em!
Total Time: 239 mins on 2 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8325 ~ (2/24/2004)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Universal serials from 1943, April 2, 2011
"Adventures of the Flying Cadets" is a 13-chapter Universal serial from 1943, with Johnny Downs, Bobby Jordan, William Benedict and Ward Wood as cadets Danny Collins, Jinx Roberts, Zombie Parker and Scrapper McKay, at a private flying school run by Major William Elliot (Charles Trowbridge). This is something like the "Dead End Kids" serials, with the cadets trying to deal with the bad guys directly, since they are accused of involvement in the murder of Major Elliot. The crime was committed by "The Black Hangman," thought to be a Nazi, but actually consulting engineer Arthur Galt (Robert Armstrong), who is working with the Nazis. This is revealed to the audience early in the serial; he controls the caves of An-Kar-Ban in Africa, a source of a war material that he wants to sell to the Nazis. Galt has been murdering others who were involved in the expedition to find the caves since one of them may know what they contain. The Nazis, led by Kurt von Heiger (Eduardo Ciannelli) want to take over the operation, rather than deal with a middleman, and plan on disposing of Galt once he is forced to reveal the location of the caves. The cadets eventually flee to Africa with Galt, whom they believe is in danger from The Black Hangman. And there is a female character involved in the plot, Andre Mason (Jennifer Holt) but it takes her until Chapter Five to show up, having escaped from Galt's guards at the caves where she and her father have been imprisoned. Unfortunately she is "rescued" by another Nazi, Herman Klott (Philip Van Zandt), claiming to be an American so he can get her to reveal the location of the caves.
Despite an obviously low budget, this serial appears to have been made with a little more care than others at the time from Universal and the direct propaganda is toned down considerably from that in "Junior G-Men of the Air" of the previous year. The special effects are not as obviously flawed as they are in other Universal serials, though still far from what was achieved at Republic. Dialogue isn't bad; even the acted-out chapter introductions are kept to a reasonable length, though some of the actors could have used help with German diction. There are only a few recycled cliffhangers from earlier serials, and the variety is enhanced by use of stock footage with plenty of explosions, if some of it a little mismatched with the situations. It takes a few chapters for the rather complicated plot to get off the ground, and it is hard to believe that Galt isn't immediately the prime suspect, though at least the proving of his guilt is handled well. While the level of back-stabbing among the Nazis is also incredible, it helps in leading to their defeat. Top honors for acting go to Eduardo Ciannelli, who even gets to engage in a little humor.
VCI's edition, # 8325 is on two discs, and while far from a pristine print, the gray scale is good enough, the image is fairly sharp and has been cleaned up reasonably well. There is a slight bend near the top of the screen, possibly dependent on monitor characteristics, believed due to a copy-protection scheme though it usually isn't annoying. The opening titles are all the same except the first, with the MPPDA certificate number changing from Chapter One's 9281 to 9284 and then back to 9281, apparently due to a slight difference in length of the first chapter titles, but a good simulation of the originals. The sound isn't especially good, with a lot of wavering high frequency response noted in the song accompanying the opening (and closing) titles, but the rest is quite adequate; no problems understanding the dialogue. The only "extras" are nine serial movie trailers, which are interesting but do not include "Adventures of the Flying Cadets."
Alpha's edition, # ALP 4789D on a single disc, is low in price but not worth the savings. The image is fairly fuzzy and too large, with quite a bit of it off-screen, and there are a lot of scratches, dirt and splices. Most of the opening titles have the correct MPPDA certificate numbers, but the oversized image puts them so close to the edge of the screen that they can't normally be read. The titles are otherwise in pretty sorry shape, and often the opening is clipped. Gray scale isn't bad; faces do not go blank, but not as good as the VCI edition. Further, Alpha puts their logo on-screen during the credits, moving it around to different corners, presumably to prevent pirating of the disc, though the poor image quality should take care of that issue. The sound is a worse problem, distorted in most chapters, enough to make some of the dialogue hard to understand. No "extras" are provided except a catalog of Alpha's video releases.
While far below the quality of any of Republic's serials from 1943, even "The Masked Marvel," this one profits from Universal's strength in complexity of plot and dialogue, and there is enough action to keep up interest, at least in 20-minute doses. But it is a lot more tolerable in VCI's edition than Alpha's; my 4-star rating has one star added for what VCI was able to do with the available print.
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